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What happens when modern sports systems in noncore sports nations have undergone extended globalization? In this article, I draw on glocalization theory, particularly Roland Robertson and Richard Giulianotti's "duality of glocality" to explore the historical developments of the K League, South Korea's men's professional football league, launched in 1983. There are many reasons the K League has not yet firmly established its status: (a) the league imposed continuous rule changes on foreign field players while banning foreign goalkeepers, (b) the league introduced a distinct competition structure partially adopted from its Western counterparts, (c) a supporter culture was established which has a similar outlook to that of other supporter cultures but it had a different internal structure, and (d) the league produced media content reflecting local viewer needs while maintaining a structure similar to Western media formats. The notion of a two-step glocalization, the process of heterogenization followed by homogenization with other cultures based on the things that were already heterogenized for a lengthy period, is used to advance the debate on glocalization and to better understand the reasons for the failure to attract K League spectators since its establishment in 1983. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sport team licensed merchandise plays an important role in sport fan experiences. Existing work has explored how consumers perceive these items, motivation and consumption habits, and intent to purchase. Extending upon the performative sport fandom framework, this study explores the marketing messages of sport fan merchandise, and the resulting implied gendered and fan performances. Employing a multimodal critical discourse analysis, we analyzed the top 20 T-shirts for men and women for five National College Athletic Association institutions on their official ecommerce sites. By examining the text descriptions, visual images, and messages perceived when combining text and visuals, we found that the marketing messages of clothing items rely heavily on traditional discourses of femininity and masculinity, placing gender performances as more relevant to fan performances for women. Atypical designs suggest alternative gender and fan performances but continue to indicate that gender identity is central to clothing appearance and messaging to consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The team identification–social psychological health model outlines that fans of local sport teams are more likely to experience feelings of social connectedness compared with fans of distant teams. We tested this proposition across two sufficiently powered studies. In both studies, sport fans (Study 1: N = 291, Study 2: N = 430) completed online surveys assessing their levels of identification with a favorite sport team and social connections derived from their fandom for that team. Team localness was operationalized based on team location (Study 1) or responses to survey questions assessing team localness (Study 2). In both studies, the positive association between team identification and social connectedness was not moderated by team localness. This research contributes to the team identification–social psychological health model and our general understanding of fan behavior by showing that the social benefits of being a highly identified sport fan are not limited to fans of local teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sports betting in the United States is exploding in popularity and has the potential to change the way sports fans interact with sports properties and sports content. However, not all sports bettors are the same, and market segmentation research provides a resource for more targeted communication and marketing strategies. Utilizing behavioral and psychographic data, the current study segmented 1,077 sports bettors by involvement. The segments were then contrasted on a number of factors within the framework of Mowen's 3M model of motivation and personality. A sample of 513 nonbetting sports fans was also included as a segment within the analyses. Statistically significant differences were found at the motivational, elemental, compound, and surface trait levels between the betting segments and between the betting and the nonbetting sports fans. The findings point to a strong emotional draw regardless of involvement yet a clear need for the betting industry to educate on issues related to jurisdictional legality and common language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sociology points to the contribution of sports to many areas of life. One stream of research focuses on how sport socialises its participants and fans into an entire world of values that extends beyond the realm of sport. This article explores whether and to what extent sports benefit young fans by facilitating an increased awareness of the global space. It found significant differences between national flag identification abilities of sport fans and non-fans. No significant differences were found between these groups on other factors. Implications of the study potentially support approaches that conceptualise sport as a social learning tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the growth of the Olympic Games against that of former host cities to understand whether this mega-event may have 'outgrown' its hosts. The increasing hosting requirements and governments' expansive use of mega-events as tools for urban development would suggest that the 'Olympic city' – a term we use for describing the size of the Olympics as hosted in different cities over the decades – has grown at a faster rate than former host cities. The analysis contrasts historical indicators that capture the evolving size of planning for the event based on four dimensions – sport, spectators, marketing and costs – as well as the urban dimension of hosting experiences (venues and infrastructure) with city trajectories based on demographic and economic indicators. This is done through a longitudinal analysis of former Olympic host cities from the 1960s and 1970s and from which continuous longitudinal data are available: Tokyo, Munich, and Montreal. The findings indicate that the Olympic city has grown more strongly than these former host cities, although not uniformly across trajectories. This gives evidence for the need to review the size of mega-event impacts if they ought to continue to generate interest in hosting them in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented about soccer fan culture. Topics include identity and loyalty of fans, the impact of globalization on fandom, and the relationship between fans and clubs. In addition the intersection of fandom with issues like nationalism, gender, and politics are included. [Extracted from the article]

The article explores how national and local identities influence Chinese football fandom. Previous research has failed to provide detailed analysis about how these two social identities influence the process of fans' self-identification. This study uses fans of Henan Jianye Football Club and Shenzhen Football Club because they can typically represent native and internal immigrant fans in China as examples to fill the knowledge gap. By combining the experiences of these two fan groups, the article reveals that international games and the feeling of supporting the nation can strengthen the influence of national identity on fandom for the national football team. It also reveals that fans' recognition of their teams' local symbolic status stimulates local identity in developing native fans' support for local football clubs. Although internal immigrant fans do not share their local identities, their desire to acquire local affiliation also allows local identity to affect their fandom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2022 FIFA Men's World Cup is poised to leave a complex legacy, marked by the array of social, economic, and political controversies that enveloped the tournament. In this study, we utilized a netnographic approach to explore the identities of satellite fans within two online communities during the World Cup tournament. By specifically focusing on the cooptation and dismantling of sport activism within a non-western satellite fan context, we offer critical insights into the intricate interplay between politics and sport on an international platform. Through a case study on Chinese satellite fans, our findings reveal a pronounced inclination among fans towards seeking authenticity, which acts as a defensive mechanism for rationalizing their role identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No detailed account is necessary for tracing the historical background of several football clubs and national football teams in Europe. While certainly not rejecting the obvious merits in detailing football's history at local and national level, it is of equal importance to identify that specific, but often undefined, element that so elaborately encapsulates the essence of any given football team in a profoundly symbolic manner. While also addressing concepts denoting to political culture, political symbolism, and political identity, this paper examines the often-ignored finer details of a team's crest, also decorating the sport shirt of football players, since the association between football fans and the iconic crest of the club and nation they support unreservedly are an integral part of their distinct football identity. The identity of a football team is effortlessly illustrated on its crest, thus succinctly expressing an abundance of historical and cultural evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between fans' views on the sources of violence in football and their levels of identification with sports. A total of 283 participants, including 252 males and 31 females, took part in the survey, and the results were analyzed. Since the data showed a normal distribution, One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Independent t-tests were used. Pearson Correlation test was used to determine the relationship between the sub-dimensions of the scale. According to the findings of the study, there was a positive weak relationship between identification and the sub-dimensions of violence associated with sports media, referee decisions, coaches and managers, and athlete behaviors (p<0.05). As participants' identification with their teams increased, the violence associated with sports media, referee decisions, coaches and managers, and athlete behaviors also increased. In terms of gender, it was determined that identification was more prevalent among male individuals. An age-based analysis revealed a significant difference among the 18-23 age group. Married participants identified more strongly with their teams, and individuals with a high school education level showed higher levels of identification. In conclusion, this study focused on the sources of violence in sports and fans' levels of identification with their teams. It found a positive relationship between identification and violence associated with sports media, referee decisions, coaches and managers, and athlete behaviors. These findings can help sports media and other stakeholders better understand their responsibilities in reducing violence and contribute to the development of strategies to prevent it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed how the behavioral patterns of esports and authentic sports viewers differ, adopting user and gratification theory and media transportation theory. In particular, it was investigated whether there was a difference in behavioral patterns according to the experience of playing the sport even among authentic sports viewers. As a result of analyzing the relationship between viewers' motivation and media transportation outcomes through structural equation modeling and multigroup structural equation modeling, it was observed that cognitive motivation was more important for esports viewers than for authentic sports viewers. A second analysis of comparisons among fans of authentic sports showed that viewers with sports experience had greater cognitive needs. This result shows that there is a difference between the viewer behaviors of esports and traditional sports, but it is concluded that the presence or absence of sports participation experience rather than content is the factor that separates the difference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: National surveys reveal that sports fans exhibit greater support for athletes, sports teams and leagues endorsing social justice initiatives compared to the general population, highlighting the potential of sports for positive social impact. This study investigates whether such responses are influenced by systematic biases. Design/methodology/approach: Replicating a Nielsen national survey, two experiments explore whether biases affect support for athletes' participation in the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. The study also examines partisan motivated reasoning as a factor driving sports fans' support for BLM. Findings: While avid fans display stronger endorsement of BLM compared to causal/non-sports fans, evidence suggests that systematic biases distort these responses. When sport identity becomes salient, reported support for the BLM movement becomes inflated. Research limitations/implications: Researchers often employ self-report surveys to gauge audience perceptions of athlete activism or cause-related initiatives, particularly when assessing their impact. This study's findings indicate that this context is susceptible to SDB. Originality/value: The study underscores the role of systematic biases in self-report surveys, particularly in socially desirable contexts. People tend to over-report "positive behavior," leading survey participants to respond more favorably to questions that are socially desirable. Therefore, interpreting survey results with caution becomes essential when the research context is deemed socially (un)desirable. It is crucial for researchers to apply appropriate measures to identify and mitigate systematic response biases. The authors recommend that researchers adopt both procedural and statistical remedies to detect and reduce social desirability biases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study delves into the psychological processes underlying sport fans' post-purchase innovativeness behaviour. This exploratory research aims to establish a theoretical framework that elucidates the formation of sport fans' word-of-mouth (WOM) behaviours, particularly emphasising the structural relationship between motivated consumer innovativeness and satisfaction in using AR live-streaming services. Design/methodology/approach: Utilising an online survey and convenience sampling, the study garnered a total of 243 usable responses from three online baseball fan communities in South Korea. Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to assess the psychometric properties of the constructs. Subsequently, a structural equation model was used to probe the influence of motivated consumer innovativeness on WOM, with a particular focus on the mediating role of satisfaction. Findings: Three dimensions of motivated sport fans innovativeness – functional, hedonic and cognitive – showed a positive association with WOM, partly mediated by satisfaction. In contrast, socially motivated sport fans innovativeness did not directly lead to WOM but influenced it solely through satisfaction. The full mediating role of satisfaction in the relationship between socially motivated fans innovativeness and WOM was found. Originality/value: This research stands out as one of the scant studies exploring motivated sport fans innovativeness in the context of AR live sport streaming. The findings not only corroborate but also augment the extant literature by empirically confirming that three dimensions of motivated fans innovativeness, coupled with satisfaction, are pivotal antecedents to WOM intention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare four different consumer pathway models based on identity theory, attitude/loyalty theory, lifestyle theory and hierarchy of effects theory, each with associated instruments measuring connection to the team. Design/methodology/approach: The authors did a two-study analysis, first collecting data from people aware of an NFL team (N = 218) and then an MLS team (N = 209) to determine which connection item performed better. Findings: The authors found that the Consumer Pathway for Sport Fandom based on the hierarchy of effects theory and its associated interest measurement item performed better than the other three frameworks and items. The Interest item shared the most variance with games attended, games intending to attend, games watched via media and games intending to watch via media. Originality/value: The Consumer Pathway for Sport Fandom represents the entire consumer spectrum from non-aware consumers all the way up to die-hard sports fans. This pathway will allow sport marketers to track their consumers from initial awareness of the product or service all the way through the brand relationship to ultimate loyalty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purist/partisan distinction has dominated recent discussions of sport spectatorship and sport aesthetics. The focus of such discussions, however, has been sport in general or, often implicitly, team sports in particular. Here, using mixed martial arts (MMA) as a case study, we argue that specific aspects of the sport in question can significantly affect how the purist/partisan distinction plays out for viewers. MMA's status as an individual combat sport mitigates, in illuminating ways, the partisanship displayed so prominently among fans of team sports. We also examine the role of external attitudes – in both the betting subculture of MMA and purist attitudes toward individual combat sports and martial arts – in shaping MMA spectatorship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sport organizations are developing family-friendly spectator initiatives to boost engagement and sales to parents and children. While the number of women sport fans continues to grow, research has yet to explore how women, as mothers and fans, experience fandom. Informed by a maternal geography framework, this study explores women's understanding of what does or does not make game-day experiences family-friendly by presenting the accounts of 15 women from North America and Australia who are sport fans and mothers. Interpretive phenomenological analysis is utilized to investigate how mothering as a spatially informed care practice shapes the perspectives of what constitutes a family-friendly sport spectating experience. Findings identify key components of the physical, structural, and social environments of women's experiences of family-friendly sport fandom, as well as exposing that what is presumed to be family-friendly is not the same as mother-friendly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With few exceptions, researchers have seldom explored the experiences of any female sport fan who may be identified as a member of a racial minority. Given related calls for further research, an examination into the lived experiences of ice hockey fans who identify as Black and female was undertaken. Interviews with 18 such fans revealed that the sport and its fandom were akin to 'White spaces': therein, participants were keenly aware of their minoritized place; subject to racial and gender stereotyping and discrimination; and prone to experiencing exclusion and trepidation. Conversely, interactions with the Black Girl Hockey Club, an organization devoted to making ice hockey more diverse and accessible, provoked feelings of belongingness and validation; and afforded a means through which interviewees could deepen their engagement with the sport. The research participants' lived experiences ultimately point to the need for organizations and managers to construct more inclusive spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars have begun to explore the interplay between the multiple identities within a sport fan's salience hierarchy, noting fandom may compete with other central roles. Researchers have also recently emphasized well-being outcomes for fans, with increasing focus on physical health. Though sport consumer behavior and health consciousness have concurrently emerged, the social psychological connection between the two is unclear. Thus, we aim to clarify this relationship. We leverage an emerging quantitative approach: polynomial regression and response surface methodology. Our findings indicate individuals who value both fandom and health consciousness (i.e., demonstrate high fan identity and health consciousness congruence) experience identity conflict, with men reporting higher levels of identity conflict than women. Thus, we contribute to literature on the potential negative sides (or challenges) of fan identity. The food and sedentarism common to fan culture appear to prompt psychological turmoil for health-conscious individuals. Fan identity may naturally integrate with other social roles, yet our results indicate fandom and health consciousness are often viewed in conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have found highly identified sport fans exhibit almost unwavering loyalty. Such loyalty has been exhibited by fans basking in reflected glory (BIRGing) following team wins, but not cutting off reflected failure (CORFing) following team losses. In short, they stick with the team through thick and thin, and thus would not be construed as fair-weather fans (those who associate with the team when they are winning, but disassociate when they are losing). Despite their presence, little is known about fair-weather fans, including the roots of their fandom. In the current study, we explore the role of collective narcissism—a type of in-group identification characterized by an insecure self-esteem—in predicting BIRGing and CORFing patterns. We find collective narcissism to be a predictor of BIRGing and CORFing patterns characteristic of fair-weather fandom. This extends research on collective narcissism, BIRGing, and CORFing, while also providing actionable insight for practitioners seeking to combat fair-weather fandom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study focused on female sports fans who participated in women's sports events to understand their experiences and formation of identities. Methods: This study adopted a qualitative approach and collected data through interviews. It involved 20 female sports fans. Results: The results revealed three themes. Firstly, female fans engaged in women's sports events were influenced by their experiences participating in team sports, media exposure, and friends and peers. Secondly, the different patterns of fan behaviors were related to connections with personal experiences, social networks, and other aspects of life. Their identity as female fans was demonstrated through regular engagement in sports events and tournaments, attempting to connect and interact with female athletes and other female fans. Lastly, the female fans did not have to confront the challenges and doubts of the masculine world, which men dominate, while in a same-sex environment. However, the female fans revealed the stigma and attitude of distinguishing those unfamiliar with sports from more experienced senior fans. A few female fans also revealed the diverse patterns of female fans through personal experience sharing and embracing the different traits of being a female fan. Conclusion: Female sports fans gradually shape their fan identity through their participation experiences, emotional interactions, and practices of being a fan and demonstrate the similarities and differences in the meaning of being a fan. By doing this, multiple images of female sports fans emerged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sports events, as large-scale events that provide products and services, have received widespread attention for their economic benefits and influence. Event organizers expect to achieve high efficiency by providing high-quality products and services. The quality of competition products and services is mainly evaluated through the subjective feelings of the audience, and usually the audience's evaluation of service quality is vague. Therefore, this article intends to establish an evaluation index system for the quality of spectator service in sports events, in order to provide a reasonable evaluation of the service products provided by sports event organizers. The audience service quality evaluation for large-scale sports-events is a MAGDM problems. Recently, the EDAS and CRITIC technique has been employed to cope with MAGDM issues. The interval neutrosophic sets (INSs) are employed as a tool for characterizing uncertain information during the audience service quality evaluation for large-scale sports-events. In this paper, the interval neutrosophic number EDAS (INN-EDAS) technique based on the Hamming distance and Euclid distance is founded to manage the MAGDM under INSs. The CRITIC technique is employed to obtain the weight information based on the Hamming distance and Euclid distance under INSs. Finally, a numerical case study for audience service quality evaluation for large-scale sports-events is employed to validate the proposed technique. The main contributions of this paper are proposed: (1) The INN-EDAS technique based on the Hamming distance and Euclid distance is founded to manage the MAGDM under INSs; (2) The CRITIC technique is employed to obtain the weight information based on the Hamming distance and Euclid distance under INSs; (3) a numerical case study for audience service quality evaluation for large-scale sports-events is employed to validate the proposed technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In augmented reality applications it is essential to know the position and orientation of the user to correctly register virtual 3D content in the user's field of view. For this purpose, visual tracking through simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) is often used. However, when applied to the commonly occurring situation where the users are mostly stationary, many methods presented in previous research have two key limitations. First, SLAM techniques alone do not address the problem of global localization with respect to prior models of the environment. Global localization is essential in many applications where multiple users are expected to track within a shared space, such as spectators at a sporting event. Secondly, these methods often assume significant translational movement to accurately reconstruct and track from a local model of the environment, causing challenges for many stationary applications. In this paper, we extend recent research on Spherical Localization and Tracking to support relocalization after tracking failure, as well as global localization in large shared environments, and optimize the method for operation on mobile hardware. We also evaluate various state-of-the-art localization approaches, the robustness of our visual tracking method, and demonstrate the effectiveness of our system in real-life scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Supporting distant teams is a frequent phenomenon. Through the lens of the social identity theory, this research aims to examine differences between local and distant fans regarding drivers of team identification. Design/methodology/approach: A multigroup structural equation model was employed. The data were collected through an online survey with 1,285 sports fans. Findings: Team distinctiveness constitutes an important aspect fueling identification for all fans, whereas congruence between own and team personality is important for local and displaced fans only. Team prestige does not impact identification for either group. Practical implications: To build up a base of highly identified supporters, clubs should emphasize those aspects of team brands that fans consider distinctive. When targeting local fans, clubs should also focus on communicating the brand's unique personality aspects. Originality/value: This is the first study that assesses the potential differences behind fans' social identification with local and distant teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to investigate the interaction effect that sponsor-team congruence and team fan (home/rival team) have on the influence of different types of sports sponsorship (joint, corporate social responsibility [CSR]-linked and conventional sponsorship) on fans' attitudes and purchase intentions toward the sponsor. Design/methodology/approach: Two experimental studies were conducted on 391 and 297 participants. The data gathered underwent analysis through five multivariate general linear model analyses. Findings: The study found that CSR-linked sponsorship had the strongest positive impact and the weakest negative impact on the attitude and purchase intention of home team supporters and the attitude of rival team supporters. Nonetheless, the sponsor-team congruence did not significantly moderate the relationship. Additionally, the research demonstrated that the fan identity of both home and rival teams moderates the impact of sports sponsorships on attitude and purchase intention. Originality/value: Previous research has studied the effectiveness of sponsorship format types independently. This is the first research comparing sponsorship formats regarding fan type and congruence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Ticket sales are an essential source of income for football clubs and federations. Analyzing the determinants of fans' willingness-to-pay for tickets is therefore an important exercise. By knowing the match- and fan-related characteristics that influence how much a fan wants to pay for a ticket, as well as to what extent, football clubs and federations can modify their ticket offering and targeting in order to optimize this revenue stream. Design/methodology/approach: Using a detailed discrete choice experiment, based on McFadden's random utility theory, this paper formulates a Bayesian hierarchical multinomial logit model. Such models are very common in the discrete choice modeling literature. The analysis identifies to what extent match and personal attributes influence fans' willingness-to-pay for games of the Belgian men's and women's football national teams. Findings: The results show that the strength of the opponent, the type of competition, the location of the seats in the stadium, the day and kick-off time of the match and the ticket price exert an influence on the choice of the respondent. Fans are attracted most by competitive games against strong opponents. They prefer to sit along the sideline, and they have clear preferences for specific kick-off days and times. The authors also find substantial variation between socio-demographic groups, defined in terms of factors such as age, gender and family composition. Practical implications: The authors use the results to estimate the willingness-to-pay for match tickets for different socio-demographic groups. Their findings are useful for football clubs and federations interested in optimizing the prices of their match tickets. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, no stated preference methods, such as discrete choice analysis, have been used to analyze the willingness-to-pay of sports fans. The advantage of discrete choice analysis is that options and variations in tickets that are not yet available in practice can be studied, allowing football organizations to increase revenues from new ticketing instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sporting events are arenas of emotional bursts, and social media is a place where such emotional irruptions of fans are encoded in their words and button clicks. This study investigates the use of Facebook reactions by sports fans during the most significant world-class sporting events in 2016: the UEFA Euro, the men's football championship of Europe, and the Summer Olympics Games, a major international multi-sport event. Our research challenge is to find out how people react to sports content and underscore the importance of emotional processes in shaping collective outcomes. In the paper, we propose a model for measuring the intensity of emotional charge, in terms of Facebook reactions and virality, and the results show what Facebook users think and feel about both sports events. According to our findings, the Olympics are the sporting arena of "emotions of peace", and the Euro is the sporting arena of "war of emotions". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper provides a thorough examination of Socios.com, a blockchain platform that integrates token sales with the fan experience in the sports industry. The study focuses on three key aspects: the performance, bubble phenomenon and dynamics of fan tokens. The author aims to address important questions that may concern potential supporters and investors. Might sports fans incur financial losses due to their team loyalty? Is the fan token market just a passing trend? Are fan tokens driven by the behaviour of the cryptocurrency market? Design/methodology/approach: This analysis aims to involve several methodologies. The author evaluates the short- and long-term performance of fan tokens by computing first-day and buy-and-hold (abnormal) returns. The author also employs the Phillips, Shi, and Yu's (PSY) real-time bubble detection method to investigate the presence of bubble phenomenon in the fan token market segment. Finally, the author examines the potential dependences between fan tokens, Chiliz and the cryptocurrency market (represented by the CCi30 index) using both Pearson/Kendall correlations and the wavelet coherence approach. Findings: The study presents three notable contributions to the existing literature. First, the author demonstrates that investing in fan tokens to support one's favourite sports teams can lead to financial losses, whereas traders can potentially outperform the market by investing in Chiliz. Second, the author states that fan tokens were a short-lived trend, as evidenced by their decline in value after the bubble burst in 2021. Third, the findings indicate that the fan token market was influenced by the cryptocurrency market and Chiliz during periods of market downturns. Originality/value: To the best of author's knowledge, this is the first paper to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the performance, bubble phenomenon and dynamics of the token market fan segment, along with the exclusive on-platform currency, Chiliz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simultaneous to the sport industry's economic surge, physical health has become an issue of growing societal concern. Fandom and health consciousness have concurrently emerged, yet scholars have not explored the social–psychological relationship between the two. To this end, we conducted semistructured, in-depth interviews with 17 self-identified health-conscious sport fans. We leverage identity theory to highlight these individuals' "identity work." Participants' experiences were reflective of both identity conflict and identity integration. The outcome that manifested—conflict or integration—appeared to hinge on psychological and sociological variables. In sharing their stories, we contribute to a growing literature on role identity negotiation in sport fandom, in addition to providing insights on health-minded sport fans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The winners of the 2017 World Series were found guilty of illegally using electronic devices to steal the signs of their opponents. Many but not all sport fans negatively reacted to this cheating incident. We relied on the model of excellencism and perfectionism to determine if perfection strivers are less unfavorable toward electronic sign stealing (cheating) compared with excellence strivers. Sport fans (N = 321) completed a measure of excellencism and perfectionism. We used three different approaches to measure attitudes toward electronic sign stealing in baseball. Results of a multivariate multiple regression showed that sport fans who are perfection strivers held more favorable attitudes toward electronic sign stealing compared with excellence strivers. Perfection strivers also reported higher moral disengagement and winning-at-all-cost mentality. These findings are insightful because they indicate that perfectionistic standards significantly relate to sport cheating-related attitudes once we separate excellencism from perfectionism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black U.S. military affiliated sport fans hold a unique place in society, as their multiple identities (i.e., racial and career) may possess conflicting elements. Militarism preaches nationalism, meritocracy, and bootstrapism, whereas Black sport activism questions if these "American" values extend to people of color. The current study interviewed Black military affiliated individuals (N = 10) to understand their perceptions on nationalism and racism within the landscape of contemporary sport activism. The protests initiated by Colin Kaepernick of the National Football League, who took a knee during the pregame national anthem, was a focal point for discussion with the participants. Three main themes were identified in the interviews: (a) protectors of the first amendment, (b) the "right" and "wrong" way to protest, and (c) new racism and color blindness in sport. This study allows a group that is not often studied to voice their perceptions of nationalism and racism in the context of sport activism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Social media enables sport organizations to connect with customers in a dynamic, ubiquitous, and timely manner. Although these organizations routinely use social media, the best practices to improve customer engagement remain elusive. This paper aims to examine National Football League (NFL) teams' Instagram posts to understand how sport teams can utilize social media to drive customer engagement. Design/methodology/approach: Guided by uses and gratification theory, the author employs a machine learning algorithm to assess the content of NFL teams' posts from the 2013–2014 season to the 2017–2018 season. The author performs regression analyses to investigate how post topic, together with confounding factors, boost customer engagement. Findings: Results highlight the importance of informational content in eliciting engagement and reveal distinctions in topics deemed "social content" in the literature. The author further identifies variations in how post topics engage sport fans and general customers. Originality/value: Results provide implications for sport organizations to craft social media content for customer engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study focuses on identifying civic opportunities embedded in associational involvement in football fan clubs. The context of this research was confined to fan clubs affiliated with two German football teams (i.e. Hamburger SV and FC St. Pauli) located in close proximity yet revealing contrasting cultural traits. The methodology used followed the stages of critical ethnography to explore the dimensions of active engagement in football fan clubs. The results of the study indicate a within-group variation in the civic opportunity structure between the football fan clubs examined. Specifically, the degree to which each member develops social ties and acquires hard skills varies significantly. Such variation is facilitated by two conditions that underpin associational engagement within the fan clubs and identified by this study on a reactive/proactive and simple/complex value structure schema. The findings regarding the within-group variation and the conditions that facilitate such a variation provide an effective platform to assess civic opportunity structures of voluntary associations in sport fandom. While this study presents additional support to regard the within-group variation when assessing civic potential of voluntary associations, practitioners are encouraged to develop promotion and communication strategies to better target core fans that reflect level of engagement and value structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During live sporting events, female announcer teams for men's sports are becoming increasingly common, however, there is a lack of research examining viewers response to this.. Using psychophysiological measures, this study examines sports fan arousal and depicted emotion while watching sports highlights with female announcers, comparing it to the same highlights using male announcers. Results show that male participants were more aroused than female participants when watching sporting events announced by male and female announcers. However, female participants had a more significant emotional response. Sports fandom was also found to be a predictor of arousal. Results are interpreted using social identity theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims at analyzing how the rivalry between the Hercílio Luz Futebol Clube and Atlético Tubarão Club supporters, both from the city of Tubarão, south of Santa Catarina, is symbolically structured. For that, we analyze the comments in the profiles of the social network Facebook of the media of the city, from the point of view of the anthropology of the imaginary. We will use the theoretical set of imaginary proposed by Gilbert Durand that allows, through his concepts, to analyze the behavior of fans of the sport of greater world appeal: football. One of the main sources of identification and significance for those involved with the phenomenon, which has in digital journalism a space of identification and dispute demarcation, as Maffesoli points out. The article tries to raise the symbols that structure this rivalry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study focuses on sport fans' attitudes toward the presence of the first transgender soccer referee in an elite league in Israel, and largely reflects the broader discourse on gender diversity and inclusion in general. Soccer referee Sapir Berman's announcement of her gender transition may have been exceptional, but it joins the broad debate on the role of transgender individuals in sport. Research findings indicate that fans expressed ambivalent reactions to the announcement. Although many responses reflected impressive open-mindedness and support for the referee and her decision, a wide range of opposition strategies was also identified, including disgust, ridicule, violence, and concerns of an existential threat caused by changes in the traditional gender order. The fact that the announcement was made during the COVID-19 pandemic also affected the nature and the contents of fans' responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the modern era of commercialized, mediated, and global football, there is a decline in the importance of the local aspect of sports fandom. Nowadays, through television broadcasts, the Internet, and especially social networks, a fan continuously follows elite football clubs from around the world, which provide an alternative to local clubs. This has created a growing trend of football fan communities known as "transnational fans"—fans of sports clubs from other countries. Contrary to traditional definitions of fandom, the transnational fans are not close to the home stadium and therefore do not take part in the ceremonial ritual of actively supporting the club from the stands. Because of this, they are not seen as part of the club's traditional fans. This means that transnational fans are forced to redefine the image of the football fan and to place special emphasis on an active community and loyalty to the team as markers of devotion. Contributing to the study of the psychology of fandom, this article discusses the characteristics of those fans' communities in Israel and seeks to present an analysis of the construction of their members' social and personal identity. To this end, an anthropological approach was adopted, which involved attending community gatherings throughout an entire gaming season and also included a series of in-depth interviews with community members. The findings of the study illustrate two main premises: the use of personal and community resources for self-determination, and the community and its place in the modern fan typology. Each theme attempts to redefine the individual's role in the social setting and present a dynamic image of football fandom as it will take shape in coming decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aims to investigate how sports customers adopted over-the-top (OTT) services to consume sport content. Inspired by the technology acceptance model (TAM), the study aims to understand users' behavior when consuming sporting events and users' perceptions toward OTT services. Design/methodology/approach: The participants of the study are Chinese sports consumers that use streaming services to watch live sport content. An online survey was distributed through HUPU Sports, a Chinese online communication community where sports fans can share opinions. To make sure all responses qualified to take part in the study, skip logic questions were added at the beginning of the questionnaire to ask participants to answer whether they used streaming services for watching sports. A total of 352 responses were received and there were 327 useable questionnaires. Findings: The results revealed that viewing convenience, free of commercials and viewing quality were the main reasons impacting them to adopt OTT services. In terms of users' perceptions, paid users rated higher in perceived enjoyment, perceived value, perceived usefulness (PU) and ease of use than nonpaid users. OTT users' fandom and PU could predict the time the users spent on using these services, while the users' fandom and perceived value are positively related to the money users spent on these services. In addition, this study also found that users' fandom, perceived value, content quality, and ease of use are positively associated with users' intention to continue to use the service. Originality/value: The study is one of the first attempts to explore how sports audiences adopted OTT services to consume sport content and explore the audiences' perceptions toward OTT usage. Previous studies have already investigated how users adopted music streaming services (Fernandes and Guerra, 2019) and other online streaming services (Shin and Park, 2021), but little attention has been given to sports streaming services specifically. Therefore, the findings of the study fill the gap in the extant knowledge of sport consumers' behavior and provide more insights to their online behaviors. Moreover, the authors also contribute to the growing digital media literature by advancing our understanding perceptional differences between paid users and unpaid users. The streaming services literature has primarily focused on general users (Fernandes and Guerra, 2019), but the services neglect to understand the differences in between paid and unpaid users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Social media has enhanced the ability of fans to interact with each other. Whilst previous research investigates fan co-creation, few studies focus on the interactive effects within the co-creation process. The authors develop a model for synthesizing the interactive concepts related to fan co-creation in social media, which leads to team identification. Design/methodology/approach: Participants (N = 483) were recruited from fans of clubs in the Persian Gulf Pro League of Iran. Structural equation modelling was applied to test the research model. Findings: The results showed that fan knowledge facilitates fan co-creation, which in turn leads to team identification. Additionally, fan engagement had a moderating effect on the mediating role of fan co-creation in the association between fan knowledge and team identification. Research limitations/implications: The findings suggest that fan knowledge is an important antecedent of fan co-creation and highlight the significance of fan co-creation in promoting team identification in highly engaged fans at football clubs. Originality/value: The current study contributes to the field of fan co-creation and provides significant implications for sport fan marketers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Do sports fans really care about their team winning? According to several philosophers, the answer is no. Sports fans engage in fictional caring during the match, which involves a game of make-believe that the result is important. We will argue that this account does not provide a full account of the way in which fans relate to the teams they support. For many fans, the team they support forms a core part of their identity. The success or failure of their team impacts the community they are a part of and around which they build a central part of their identity. For these fans, it really does matter whether their team wins or loses. We will finish by articulating a more limited role that fictional caring may play in sports fandom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adding to research on team identification and well-being, inquiry into meaning in life and team identification could illuminate how sport fandom impacts consumers' lives. In the current study, an instrumental case study design was used to explore how team identification impacts meaning in life, focusing on significance. Participant diaries and interviews with identified fans of a professional women's basketball team revealed that connecting with family and friends, supporting women's sport, and enhancing mental health via support of the team were sources of significance in participants' lives. The findings illustrate that meaning in life is not necessarily experienced just from being a highly identified fan. Instead, specific elements of one's connection to the team provide meaning. The findings also highlight the importance of close relationships over imaginary intimate relationships, impacting social justice among fans of women's sport, and how mental health via fandom may provide older adults significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has shown that the highs and lows of sport fandom are more extreme for fans with strong levels of obsessive passion. The authors tested if this amplification effect applied to how hockey fans felt throughout a National Hockey League (NHL) playoff series. Fans of the Winnipeg Jets (N = 57) reported levels of harmonious and obsessive passion prior to the start of the 2019 NHL playoffs and then reported their feelings the day after each game of the first playoff round. The results supported the amplification hypothesis by showing that the impact of game result on both positive and negative feelings the day after a game was more extreme for fans with high obsessive passion. This moderating effect, however, appeared to be driven primarily by responses to losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After initially pitting partisans against purists, the literature on the ethics of fandom has coalesced around a pluralist position: purists and partisans each have their own merits, and there is no ideal form of fandom. In this literature, however, the fair-weather fan continues to be viewed with dismissal and (sometimes) derision. While some fair-weather fans may earn this contempt, many fair-weather fans, we argue, are not only acceptable, they have important advantages over partisans and purists, and as such are in a better position to navigate some of the moral complexities inherent in modern sports. We develop this argument first by clarifying the nature of the fair-weather fan. We then examine challenges that fans face in many modern sports, first owing to their economic nature and, second, due to the morally tainted status of many of them. We argue that the fair-weather fan meets these challenges in ways that the partisan and purist cannot replicate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sport fanship is immeasurable and represents one of society's most universal leisure activities. The current collection of research on the fanship phenomena is truly global: 25 scholars from 4 continents (including North and south America, UK, Australia, Norway, Netherland, and Israel) looked closely at various dimensions of sport fanship. The ongoing COVID pandemic presents both spectators on and off the field with various challenges side to unique opportunity to rethink the way sport fans consume and interact. Thus, the aim of this double special issue with 13 papers was to assemble both applied or theoretical research from experts within fields of psychology, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, political science, economy, media, and gender studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 ushered new forms of media engagement when traditional sporting events and league play were suspended. Subsequently, certain sections of the audience moved online to fill their needs typically satisfied via traditional sport consumption. Esport is one such form of digital entertainment that significantly altered the ways in which sport fans can immerse themselves in related content. To examine how those audience obtained gratifications, we surveyed traditional sport fans who have either increased or initiated esports media consumption during the pandemic, doing so through the lens of media dependency theory. Results from 155 sports fans demonstrate three key findings. First, gratifications for traditional sports were significantly higher than those of esports. Secondly, ascending esports consumers maintained significantly more intense gratifications than did new users. Finally, media dependency was a significant, positive predictor of all 12 of the traditional sports motivations and 9 of the 12 esport motivations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a critical events theoretic analytic lens, we argue that the Covid-19 pandemic had the disruptive power to shake the foundation of sports fanship, much as it affected all aspects of contemporary life across the globe. We conducted a survey of 613 adults in the United States, all of whom self-identified as sports fans. Sports fanship avidity dipped during the height of the pandemic when games, matches, and seasons were cancelled or conducted in protective bubbles without fans in the stands. That dip was temporary. With sports back in full-throttle mode, fanship avidity returned to pre-pandemic levels. Those who identified as strong fans appeared to cherish its return, some even more avid than before. The impact of the pandemic on sports fanship was most acute among those who were not ardent sports fans to begin with—and its impact appears to have extended over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expectations are often dynamic: sports fans know that expectations are rapidly updated as games unfold. Yet expectations have traditionally been studied as static. Here we present behavioral and electrophysiological evidence of sub-second changes in expectations using slot machines as a case study. In Study 1, we demonstrate that EEG signal before the slot machine stops varies based on proximity to winning. Study 2 introduces a behavioral paradigm to measure dynamic expectations via betting, and shows that expectation trajectories vary as a function of winning proximity. Notably, these expectation trajectories parallel Study 1's EEG activity. Studies 3 (EEG) and 4 (behavioral) replicate these findings in the loss domain. These four studies provide compelling evidence that dynamic sub-second updates in expectations can be behaviorally and electrophysiologically measured. Our research opens promising avenues for understanding the dynamic nature of reward expectations and their impact on cognitive processes. A series of 4 experiments (2 EEG, 2 behavioral) involving slot machine interfaces demonstrates that sub-second changes in reward expectations can be behaviorally and electrophysiologically measured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Violence among spectators in sports is a global phenomenon posing hazards for players, match officials, and other participants. Despite its widespread prevalence, scant criminological research has investigated the matter. To fill this void, this study examines the predictive efficacy of key theoretical constructs derived from Situational Action Theory on aggressive behaviour among a sample of 384 soccer spectators in Iran. Results reveal that crime propensity, criminogenic exposure, action alternatives, and choice have direct effects on spectator engagement in violent behaviour. Furthermore, results demonstrate that crime propensity and criminogenic exposure (propensity*exposure) and action alternatives and choice (action alternatives*choice) interact to increase violence among sport spectators in a manner consistent with the theory. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]